The Beldam's Return
by QueenAlicorn
Summary: Google defines the word 'Beldam' as 'a malicious and ugly woman, especially an old one; a witch.' With that in mind, follow Coraline on her next adventure against the other mother. But this time she may have to save her friends and the tenant(s) in the fourth apartment. With all this at stake, she may not be as lucky as she was the first time around.
1. Chapter 1

the beldam's return

Disclaimer: I do not own the movie Coraline or it's characters.

Note: There has been many debates about the differences between book and film. People pick sides and argue, and at times they even fight over trivial issues. And then there are people who have created a few theories about unanswered questions or odd scenes in movies and TV shows. I first got an idea for this story when reading the book Coraline. I was interested in the fact that the Pink Palace had a fourth apartment that hasn't been rented yet. I started to think of more ideas when I watched the movie with commentary (Like I do with all my favorite movies). Only recently I have been looking on YouTube to look at the different theories people had about Coraline. This story will have several different details from the book, movie, and theories, so if your willing to be patient with me and willing to see a different side of Coraline that you may or may not have thought about before; then I will do my best to give you an eye opening experience.

Chapter 1,

Coraline was sitting in the garden, pulling up different weeds that had infested the tulips when she heard the car pull up. Her heart raced as she heard the car doors slam and she stood up and saw her friends Harry and Marina walking up towards the house. She had waited a whole school year for this moment. So it's no surprise when she abandoned her gardening and went straight into the back entrance of the house. She ran straight into the kitchen and there they were. Marina was taking off her scarf and Harry was reaching for a hot cookie and Coraline squealed and they both turned to her.

"Troll Pile!" They all shouted and Coraline was on the ground, hugging her friends, and getting a nuggie from Harry.

"Honestly Coraline, you can become impossible when your around your friends." Coraline's mother, Mel, said but she quickly smiled when she saw how happy Coraline was to see her friends again.

"Sorry, Mrs. J, it's a troll tradition." Harry said and Mel rolled her eyes.

"Explain to me again why you call yourself trolls?" Mel asked and Coraline sat up.

"I can't." She said and her mother rose an eyebrow at her.

"Why not?" She asked.

"Because we never explained it to you. Therefore we cannot explain it to you again, that would be impossible." Coraline said and Mel sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"This is going to be a long summer. Where is your father?" Her mother asked and Coraline paused.

"Uh, he was in the garden with me, but... he went inside for some reason. I think he got a call." Coraline said unsure and Mel walked away. Coraline noticed that her mother was mumbling, she thought she even heard the word 'useless', but she smiled when she looked at her friends.

"I see that dragon lady hasn't really changed." Harry said and Marina giggled.

"Yeah, I don't know how you can deal with her, some days." Marina said and Coraline chuckled uncomfortably.

"Oh, well, she isn't the worst mother I've had. So tell me about your trip, how was it?" Coraline asked and Marina smiled.

"Oh, Coraline it was so much fun. We had this thing called turbulence, and this lady freaked out so majorly and she ended up spilling her drink over the guy next to her." Marina said.

"Yeah, and the guy was all like 'Calm down, lady, calm down.' but of course she didn't until the turbulence stopped and she felt so bad for ruining the guys shirt that she gave him like twenty dollars to either get it dry cleaned or to buy a new shirt." Harry said, obviously deepening his voice when he was pretending to be the man.

"Yeah, and they gave us food, which I didn't really eat because I kept getting these waves of nausea, so i just let Harry eat both of our meals." Marina said and Harry smiled.

"Food wasn't terrible, but ours was cold." He said.

"What did you get?" Coraline asked.

"We both got chicken." He said and Coraline made a face.

"You ate double chicken. You should have gotten chicken and fish and then tried them both." Coraline said and Harry shrugged.

"I don't remember getting a choice, but honestly I wouldn't have chosen a different path. Think about it, flying chicken of flying fish... I'm picking the one with wings, thank you very much." Harry said and Marina rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but you barely touch seafood. I doubt that you will ever eat fish when you live by yourself." Marina said and Coraline giggled.

"Yeah, Harry, you don't even like to eat fish sticks. You only tolerate them when you have a bottle of ketchup in your hand." Coraline said.

"Even then, he could open a new bottle and polish it off before the fish sticks are gone." Marina said and Harry rolled his eyes.

"I'm not that bad." He said and the girls simply laughed at him.

"Oh, forget you. So, Coraline, what is it like to live out here." Harry asked and Coraline thought about this.

"Well, it wasn't easy when I first got here. I kept dreaming of this beautiful escape, but when the dream turned into a nightmare, I woke up and I was glad to be back. When I made up my mind about wanting to stay, I started to see the charm of this town. Granted we get lots of fog, which is why I'm glad that today the sun is shining through and we can explore a little." Coraline said and Marina's stomach started to growl.

"I don't suppose that we could get something to eat first." Marina said and Coraline smiled.

"Of course, that's why mom made cookies." Coraline said and Harry contorted his face.

"Oh, uh, your mom made those?" He asked and Coraline laughed.

"Yes, she made them and they are delicious." Coraline said in a slightly louder tone, then she leaned forward.

"Don't worry, it's just cookies that you put on a pan and bake." She whispered and Harry relaxed.

"Good, I wouldn't want my tongue to run away from me." Harry said and Marina giggled.

"Cookies sound good." Marina said in agreement and the three friends turned towards the slightly warm pan and started to dig into the cookies.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Coraline or it's characters.

Chapter 2,

Coraline was so glad to have Harry and Marina back. Though they couldn't do everything they did back in Michigan. Coraline remembered how they would go up to the mall and order milkshakes. Then with their shakes they would go to the arcade section the mall still had and play vintage games. Coraline's favorite was still Dragon's Lair, but she did better at Dig Dug. Then when they ran out of quarters they would go through the park and look around for any 'lost treasure' they might find.

On school nights, their day would end here, but during the summer, Coraline's favorite thing to do would be to go to the drive-in with Harry's mother. Not to sound like a sadist, but she especially loved it when they all watched a horror movie together. His mother could not contain her fear to save her life, and when she screamed, she screamed **loud.** But her overreactions were part of her charm too. Harry inherited some of this, but he is a lot harder to scare. Though Coraline and Marina kept trying their best to scare him.

"When did you guys plant the tulips, they are so pretty." Marina said as she sniffed one of hundreds.

"Oh, well, almost a year ago. We did them a few days after we moved here, and everyone helped." Coraline said and Harry blinked.

"Everyone, who?" Harry asked and Coraline shrugged.

"Well, there is Mr. Bobinsky, he lives in the top flat." Coraline pointed up towards his living area.

"And Miss Spink and Miss Forceible are downstairs." Coraline pointed to their place.

"And then Wybie and his grandmother came down from their place on the hill." Coraline said, and she didn't point out his house because she wasn't exactly sure where it was.

"Oh, yeah. You told me about Wybie." Marina said and Harry placed his hand on his heart and 'stumbled' backwards.

"I have never heard this name. I feel so left out." Harry said dramatically, and the girls giggled at him. Harry smiled and glanced at them with one eye.

"But perhaps, this so-called Wybie, will not leave me in the dirt. Perhaps he will see me for the true me and enjoy my company over yours." Harry said in a high-pitched and extremely flamboyant way.

"Harry, won't you be at all threatened at the fact that another boy could join our group?" Marina said, though it almost sounded as if she was hinting at something else.

"Pff, yeah right. You girls are my very best friends. Besides, I dare him to come back from vacation to mess with me." Harry said, acting overly tough when he says this.

"Hey, kids. I made some more cookies. These are chocolate and peanut butter." Mel said, which just happened to be the magic words for Harry. He disappeared like an animated character, leaving behind a cloud of smoke.

"Heh, mom went a bit overboard with the drop cookies. She bought like... 12-15 packs or something like that." Coraline said and Marina rubbed the back of her neck.

"Hey, Cor..." she started and Coraline paused when she heard her old nickname.

"Yeah?" Coraline said Marina shrugged.

"You know, before you found out that you were moving, I always thought that I would be the odd one out." Marina said and Coraline blinked.

"What are you talking about, you're-" Coraline stopped when she saw her friends hand.

"Please, let me finish saying this before Harry gets back." Marina said and Coraline rolled her eyes.

"Please, knowing him, he's going to eat all of those cookies in about ten minutes, if he savors it." Coraline said and Marina sighed.

"Please?" She simply said and Coraline knew this was serious, so she crossed her arms and nodded to her friend.

"Thank you." She said and she took a deep breath.

"I thought that I would be the odd one out because you and Harry just connected in a way that I never knew. You two were so cute together, and I personally thought that you two would eventually get romantically involved." Marina said and Coraline took a step back.

"Whoa, but..." Coraline remembered that she was to remain quiet so she purses her lips to keep them together.

"I always thought that you two would date, and I would be the third wheel, and eventually you two would be on your merry way, leaving me behind. I know this is a bit dark. But I wanted to enjoy your friendship while it lasted." Marina took a hesitant look at Coraline, but otherwise didn't look at her.

"And then, to all of our surprise you tell us that you are moving. And we spend as much time together as we can. We both missed you very much, but Harry took your move very hard." Marina said and Coraline bit her lip, not sure if she wanted to hear all of this.

"I can't read his mind, Cor. But you didn't see the look on his face when I told him you made a friend out here, named Wybie. We don't talk about it much, though I am still worried about him. I think he is jealous of your new friend. And I'm telling you because I don't know if he is jealous of a friend... or a boyfriend." Marina said and this time, Coraline had to speak.

"Are you saying that Harry has a crush on me?" Coraline asked and Marina looked away.

"Maybe. He may have moved on by now, but I would still tread lightly." Marina said and Coraline took a deep breath.

"I love exploring with Wybie. And he is a good guy, even brave when he has to be." Coraline paused when she remembered the way Wybie saved her from the Other Mother.

"I suppose if I am honest with myself, I would say that I don't really like Wybie. But I think I would like who he could be." Coraline chose her words carefully because she did develop feelings for the Other Wybie. He was different the the real one, and it was more then just the button eyes. The Other Wybie loved her... at least that's what Coraline wants to believe. He would have taken a bullet for her, but maybe that's easier to do when you're basically a living doll. Still, Coraline mourned his 'death' and still thought about him when she was around the real Wybie. Coraline loved the Other Wybie, but not the real Wybie.

"Well, I think I understand that. I sometimes feel like Harry would be irresistible in about two or three years. But know, he is just cute in the dorkiest way." Marina said with a smile and a blush that surprised Coraline.

"Do you have a crush on Harry?" Coraline asked, and Marina blinked.

"Do you have a crush on Wybie?" Marina asked and Coraline blushed.

"Not right now." Coraline said, and Marina nodded.

"Same." She said simply and Coraline paused. She didn't like Wybie, but for some reason being asked that question almost embarrassed her. How did that make sense? And she didn't really believe Marina when she said she didn't like Harry. But if she didn't like Wybie, then Coraline needed to at least try to believe Marina when she says that she doesn't like Harry.

"So are we going to meet this guy, this Wybie?" Marina asked, halfway changing the subject.

"He'll be over later tonight. He is bringing a movie called Gremlins." Coraline said and Marina blinked.

"I've never heard of that movie." Marina said and Coraline paused.

"You're kidding." Coraline said and Marina shrugged.

"No, what's it about?" She asked and Coraline still felt as if she was pulling her leg, but rolled with it anyways.

"A man buys a pet from a special store. The pet has very specific rules that must be followed in order to be happy and healthy.

One is to never get the creature wet. Second is to keep it out of the sun. And Lastly, it cannot eat after midnight." Coraline said and Marina scrunched her nose.

"So strict. Why would you want a pet like that?" Marina said and Coraline smiled widely.

"Well, you haven't met Gizmo yet." Coraline said, and Marina rolled her eyes.

"Well what happens when you don't follow the rules?" She asked and Coraline chuckled.

"Well, there wouldn't be much of a surprise if I just told you. Besides if I told you everything about the movie, it wouldn't be as good." Coraline said and Marina paused.

"I suppose, but I'm not big on surprises." Marina said and Coraline shook her head.

"You're silly." Coraline said and Harry popped his head out of the kitchen and looked at the girls.

"There is still two of the chocolate peanut butter cookies left. You girls want them?" Harry asked and Marina chuckled.

"Harry sharing chocolate and peanut butter? The world must be turning upside down." Marina said, standing up. And Coraline followed slowly. She may have had feelings for Harry before she left, but she's barely thought about him since she's been here. Since she met the Other Wybie, actually. He was selfless, and kind, and funny, and... she truly missed him.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Coraline or it's characters.

Chapter 3,

"Get ready little mogwi's because here comes the Gremlins." Wybie said, holding the movie up, and Coraline chuckled softly at his joke, which instantly made Harry jealous, which made Mariana sad.

"Come on, Why-were-you-born. Come meet my old friends from Michigan." Coraline said to the boy.

"Oh, Coraline, that's not a very nice thing to call your friend." Mariana said and Wybie waved her off.

"It's ok, Jonesy has been calling me that since the day we met." Wybie said, and it was true, but Coraline still rolled her eyes.

"Wybie, this is my friend Mariana." Coraline said and Wybie shook her hand.

"Oh my, I fear that I have died and became a ghost, for no one seems to see me." Harry said dramatically and Coraline chuckled at him.

"Ok, Mr. Ghost. Would you like to meet my friend Wybie?" Coraline asked and Harry winked at her.

"If you insist, medium of the spirits." Harry said and Mariana blinked.

"Medium?" She said and Wybie nodded.

"Yeah, a kind of vessel for spirits to use, but mostly it is simply a person that can communicate with the dead." Wybie said and Harry was actually impressed at this.

"I'm surprised. Normally when it comes to mythology, or folklore, I would have to explain it to these two knuckleheads." Harry said and Mariana playfully punched his arm.

"How many times do I have to tell people to be nice?@ Mariana asked and Harry rolled his eyes.

"At least one more time." Harry said.

"Mah! Then boy you better start being nice to me." Mariana said.

"Or what?" Harry inquired with a cocky smile.

"Or else I'll reveal some stupid embarrassing secret about you." Mariana threatened.

"Like what?" Harry asked and Mariana smiled.

"Like this." She said, and then she leaned in and whispered in his ear. Soon Harry's eyes widened and a blush formed in his face.

"Ok, ok, you've made your point." Harry said, stepping away from her and Coraline giggled at them.

"I swear you don't even need me anymore." Coraline said, and Harry gasped dramatically.

"Parish the thought, young one. Thoughts like that are what makes ghosts, like me, exist." Harry said and this time Wybie rolled his eyes.

"Ok, Jonesy. Everything you told me makes sense now." Wybie said and Coraline chuckled.

"See what I mean, huh? Well then, I guess it's only fair to set up the movie and get ready." Coraline said and Wybie walked over to the DVD player and Mariana walked into the kitchen.

"So, Wybie seems nice." Harry said and Coraline shrugged.

"He can be a real pain in my behind, so you two should get alone fine." Coraline jokes and Harry let out an insure laughter.

"Yeah, but uh, what's the story with this guy anyways?" Harry asked and Coraline kind of roller her eyes.

"I met him the day I moved into the pink palace. His grandmother owns the place, so he hangs out and lives nearby. He's the only other kid outside of town." Coraline said and Harry nodded.

"So it's a friendship based on convenience?" Harry asked, but Coraline paused.

"Well, I really didn't like him at first. I thought that he was a stalker. But Wybie is kind, brave, and loyal. It's not always easy to see those kinds of qualities at first. I'm sure that if you make the effort to give Wybie a chance, then you two would become good friends too." Coraline said and Harry sighed.

"Ok, Cor, I'll make an effort to get to like Wybie." Harry said and Coraline nodded.

"Good, now we just have to deal with the hard part." Coraline said and Harry rose an eyebrow at her.

"What's that? Mariana liking Wybie?" Harry asked and Coraline shook her head.

"No, Wybie liking you, Harry. You can be quiet a handful." Coraline said with a wink. And Harry placed the back of his hand on his forehead.

"My dear, you think you know so much about me. I can be more then what you call 'a handful'." Harry said dramatically and Coraline rolled her eyes.

"So then what are you?" Coraline asked and Harry gave her a devilish grinD

"A hungry troll." Harry said and Coraline's eyes widened as she remembered what that meant.

"Uh-oh" She said and Harry chased Coraline all around the house until Mell yelled at them, forcing them to stop. Wybie enjoyed watching Coraline with her old friends, as if no time had passed at all. But it had. He and Jonesy has fought the other other mother and threw her hand down the well, with that cursed key. A small part of Wybie told him that they shouldn't be having a sleepover here, but how could the other mother get them now?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Coraline or it's characters. Also I do not own Gremlins either.

Note: If you haven't seen Gremlins, then you should know that there are a few spoilers in this chapter.

Chapter 4,

"Da, da, da, da, da, da." Wybie and Coraline started to sing as they watched the credits to Gremlins. Harry was enjoying the movie, but watching Coraline and Wybie geek out like that hurt his heart.

"Da, da, da, da, da, da." Mariana joined in and she nudged Harry's side to kinda remind him to get along with Wybie and to have fun.

"Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da." They all sang together.

"Will you kids quiet down?" Mrs. Jones called and everyone started laughing.

"So tell me guys, what did you think?" Coraline asked and Mariana smiled.

"I liked it a lot. I really love Gizmo though." She said and Harry nodded.

"Yeah, but I really love that scene at the bar. I mean did you see the Gremlin dressed in drag? You know, Stripe's girl." Harry said and Wybie shrugged.

"I don't know if they were really dating, but I saw that too. But you know I kinda like the scene at the begin where Billy is playing the keyboard while Gizmo sings; and Gizmo corrects Billy when he plays a wrong note." Wybie said and Coraline smiled.

"Yeah, I saw that and I thought he was a sassy little Mogwi." Coraline said and Mariana chuckled.

"You know what I loved? I loved that scene where all of the Gremlins are in the theater watching Snow White and they really, really love it." Mariana said and Harry chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"What about you Cor? What's your favorite part?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. There is so much to love. Let me think. Uh... I think I love the final show down best. Where Stripe is in the fountain and Gizmo opens the blinds and the sunlight kills Stripe." Coraline said and Harry and Mariana were confused by this.

"You mean when he melts into a puddle? Why would you like that?" Mariana said and Coraline shrugged.

"I don't know. There is something really comforting that, at the end of the day, the bad guy is dead." Coraline said and Wybie looked away at that. He knew what she was talking about. Because even though they defeated the Other Mother, she was still alive, and unless she could starve to death, she could find a way back.

"I don't know about the ending though." Harry said and Coraline looked at him.

"What do you mean?" Coraline asked.

"Well, Gizmo saves the day, but it was kinda his fault because if he hadn't gotten wet, he wouldn't have multiplied. So what's they message, 'clean up your own mess'?" Harry said and Mariana rolled her eyes.

"Technically it was that one kid's fault. The mouth guy who was in the tree. Besides, I don't think that's the message." Mariana said and Harry looks at her:

"What do you think then?" Harry asked and Mariana shrugged.

"Maybe that you don't have to be the biggest or the strongest, or the fastest to save the day and win the battle." Mariana said and Wybie nodded.

"True. Also that even the cutest things can transform into the ugliest creature." Wybie added.

"Yeah, but then there is hope that Billy will see Gizmo again." Coraline said and Wybie smiled.

"Well considering that there is a sequel, we kinda know they see each other again." Wybie said and Coraline bumped him with her hip.

"Hit the road Jack, and don't cha come back." Coraline half-sang.

"No more, no more, no more, no more." Wybie finished the versa and Harry groaned.

"My God. Do you two have to be so cute together?" Harry asked and everyone stared at him. Harry sighed.

"I'm sorry, I guess I am a bit dehydrated. I did eat a lot of cookies earlier." Harry said and he walked to the kitchen.

"Um, I better talk to him." Mariana said, following Harry. Leaving Wybie and Coraline alone.

"You think he's alright?" Wybie asked and Coraline looked at him.

"I think he might be a little jealous." Coraline said and Wybie blinked.

"Jealous? Why?" Wybie asked and Coraline rubbed the back of her neck.

"Well we were thick as thieves back in the day. And I move away, and as soon as he gets the chance to visit, he sees that I'm close to someone else. It's probably just hard because he's kinda my best friend... or maybe you're my best friend now, I don't know. Perhaps he feels like I replaced him?" Coraline said adding some misplaced guilt to her observation.

"Dang, Jonesy. You read more into that then I did." Wybie said and Coraline shrugged.

"Well, part of that is what Mariana was telling me about, before you got here." Coraline said and Wybie nodded. They were silent for a moment, and Wybie noticed that Coraline was hugging herself, but she was digging her fingers into her skin, as if she were afraid.

"You ok, Jonesy?" Wybie asked and Coraline looked at him. She was prepared to lie to him, but when she looked him in the eye, she found it impossible to do so.

"I was just... having second thoughts about this whole thing." Coraline said.

"What? About the sleep over?" Wybie asked.

"About bringing my friends here for the whole summer." Coraline said and Wybie nodded.

"Ah, that." Wybie said and Coraline sighed.

"Yes, that. I mean what if the Other Mother is like a Gremlin and keeps coming back?" Coraline asked and Wybie took a deep breath.

"Hey, come here." Wybie said and he held his arms opened so that he could hug her. She accepted his openness and walked into his hug. She held him tightly and Wybie had a hand on the back of her head and ran his hand up and down her back.

"Do you remember that gardening party you had right after we defeated the Other Mother?" Wybie asked and Coraline nodded.

"Yeah, you invited me and my grandmother to the party. You did that so we could tell her what's been happening and what happened to her sister." Wybie said and Coraline nodded again.

"I remember." Coraline said into Wybie's chest, which ticked a little.

"Well, you were great to do that for me. I couldn't have done it alone. And I remember you telling my grandmother all about the Other Mother and your dreams. And when Grandma asked about the Other Mother and what happened to her, do you remember what you said? You said, 'don't worry. She's not a problem anymore'." Wybie quoted and Coraline was touched that he managed to remember that. And she did feel a little better, but not 100%. So for a moment, she just stood there taking in Wybie's unique scent.

"But my favorite part was when you said, oh. And I couldn't have done it without Wybie." Wybie said and Coraline lifted her head.

"That's not what I said next." Coraline said.

"I couldn't have done it without Wybie. He is so big and strong." Wybie said making his voice a little higher to sound more feminine.

"Ugh, stop that." Coraline said with a smile. She pulled away from him/

"He rescued me, madam. You have no idea how terrified I was until he arrived. I owe my very life to him." Wybie said and Coraline gasped playfully.

"Says the guy who almost fell down the well." Coraline said. She picked up a pillow and threw it at the boy.

"And because he saved my life, I will do everything in my power to show my devotion to him." Wybie continued, and the two started going around the room throwing pillows, pencils, and pens at each other.

"I'll cook for him every night."

"Oh, will I?"

"And I'll make his bed, and clean his room."

"What a pipe dream."

"And I'll escort him on any adventure he has."

"You didn't go on adventures until you met me."

"Yes I did."

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did."

"No you didn't."

They became so immersed with each other that they kinda forgot the rest of the world. They just stood there arguing like the kids they were. Not caring or noticing who saw them like that. But perhaps if they did look around, they would have seen a cute little mouse with button eyes, staring at them.


End file.
